The Kansas Jayhawks men’s basketball team will return to Allen Fieldhouse to take on the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in their third game of the Hall Of Fame Showcase. The Jayhawks enter the game as the near unanimous number one team in America, and are looking to make a statement that they deserve that ranking. The Jayhawks are entering the game after a dominating 94-44 victory over Central Arkansas, but they are still dealing with questions after a 57-55 slugfest with Memphis earlier last week. Wednesday’s game will be televised on the Jayhawk Television Network at 7PM. 
Kansas dominated their previous game against Central Arkansas, shooting 57 percent from the field to UCA’s 26 percent mark. KU turned the ball over just seven times, while forcing 19 Bears turnovers. KU also blocked eight shots. Kansas most effective weapon against the Bears was their balance on offense. The Jayhawks had 4 players tie for the team lead in points, with Xavier Henry, Sherron Collins, Marcus Morris, and Tyrel Reed all scoring 12 points apiece. Considering the Jayhawks only made 1 three point bucket against Memphis, coach Self was happy that the Jayhawks shot 58% from long range. Tyrel Reed led the way for the Jayhawks, going 4-5 after missing his first 6 three point attempts on the season. C.J. Henry also saw his first action of the season and looked in impressive, scoring 8 points in 9 minutes of play. He also drained two long 3 pointers and was 3-4 from the field for the game.
Oakland opened the year with back to back losses to Eastern Michigan and Wisconsin, before rebounding with consecutive wins over Rochester College and Tennessee Tech. Oakland has three players averaging double figures, led by 6′11″ Center Keith Benson at 16.3 points per game. Benson is also averaging 10.3 rebounds per game and nearly 4 blocks per game to lead the way on the inside for the Grizzlies. Oakland also has plenty of firepower on the perimeter as well, with senior Small Forward Derick Nelson scoring 14.8 points per game and pulling down 7.3 boards per game. Nelson sat out last season with a broken foot, but he has over a 1,000 points in his career coming into his senior season. The spark plug for the Golden Grizzlies is their senior Point Guard, Johnathon Jones. Jones leads the team with 6 assists per game and is averaging 3 steals per game as well. Jones is also third on the team in scoring at 13.8 points per game.
Key Losses for Oakland
Eastern Michigan 77-81
Wisconsin 42-58
Key Wins for Oakland
Rochester College 97-63
Tennessee Tech 77-56
Key Stats
Oakland is averaging 73.2 points per game this season and is shooting 23.7% from three point range.
Greg Kampe is in his 26th season as the head coach of the Golden Grizzlies, and has seven 20 win season to his credit at Oakland.
Oakland finished 2009 with an 23-13 record and were 13-5 in Summit League play.
Greg Kampe started as a coach at Toledo as an assistant in 1979 and stayed there 6 years before accepting the head coaching position at Oakland. He is the fourth longest tenured head coach in division I basketball, and has an impressive 419-314 record over that span.
The Series
Kansas and Oakland are meeting for the first time in men’s basketball. The Jayhawks are 15-4 against current membership of the Summit League and last faced a Summit League member when they defeated North Dakota State 84-74 in the first round of last season’s NCAA tournament.
Prediction
Kansas should get a better test than they did against Central Arkansas, but Oakland will still be over-matched. Look for the Kansas’ depth to wear down the Golden Grizzlies, who have a solid starting five, but lack the bench to compete with Kansas in an up tempo game. Oakland has decent size on the low blocks, with a starting front line of 6′11″ and 6′9″. This should be an opportunity for the Jayhawks to work on their post play and for Cole Aldrich to get some time against some guys taller than 6′7″ in the early season. None the less, the Kansas frontline should overwhelm the thin frontcourt of the Grizzlies and cause early foul trouble. Also, Oakland has some quick guards, but their outside shooting is suspect at best. Kansas should be able to play aggressive defense on the perimeter and force some turnovers knowing that they are unlikely to be hurt by getting by hot outside shooting.
Outcome
Kansas 93 Oakland 59
